


To Be Someone You Need

by Aikori_Ichijouji, AkisMusicBox



Category: Skip Beat!, 쌍갑포차 | Mystic Pop-up Bar (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Crossover, Don't copy to another site, Dreamscapes, F/M, Guilt, Past Character Death, Reincarnation, Spirits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25957219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikori_Ichijouji/pseuds/Aikori_Ichijouji, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkisMusicBox/pseuds/AkisMusicBox
Summary: Unfortunate as the accident may have been, you died in the Sacred River with a heavy burden on your heart, tainting the spiritual energy of the waters and bringing strife to the surrounding lands. As such, you are tasked with resolving the grudges of seven thousand humans before you are allowed to reincarnate.It’s challenging enough running a pop-up bar in the heart of Tokyo when your only goal is to attract customers carrying an unresolved grudge. Then you have to get them drunk, get their story, and get them to pass out so you can infiltrate their dreams and heal their hearts. Despite her otherworldly abilities, Kyoko Mogami was ill-prepared when the cause of her own grudge, Sho Fuwa appears. It’ll take the support of her devoted employees (Ren and Maria) to wade through the lingering hurt from her past and restore her hope for the future.This fic is set in an interpretaion of the universe in Mystic Pop-Up bar, where discussions of death, guilt, grief, and reincarnation are featured heavily.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Kudos: 11





	1. Tell Me About Your Worries, Asshole

**Author's Note:**

> Aki: Come on, it's perfect! There's all this talk about grudges and forgiveness, it's a slam dunk for a one-shot! Just 5,000 words, we can do it!  
>  Aik: ... FINE.
> 
> *weeks later*
> 
> Aik: *looks at word count, low whistle* Chapters?  
>  Aki: Chapters.

She still remembered the decree passed down from the Spirit Realm as if it hadn’t occurred twenty years prior. A shudder passed through her as the words echoed in her head.

_‘Unfortunate as the accident may have been, you died in the Sacred River with a heavy burden on your heart, tainting the spiritual energy of the waters and bringing strife to the surrounding lands. As such, you are tasked with resolving the grudges of seven thousand humans before you are allowed to reincarnate.’_

It was unfair. This man appeared before her — the primary cause of the ordeal of monotony and bitterness her life had become — wanting her help. He was the one who said those harsh words. He was the one who sent her running towards the river in hopes that her most beloved friend and fairy prince would appear to soothe her. She never saw the rock that obstructed her path as her eyes overflowed with tears that refused to stop.

But the rock upon which she’d fallen headfirst she knew all too familiarly as well as the river that filled her nose and lungs. They tied her to that place as sure as they tied her to the memories of that ethereal-looking boy who, she’d convinced herself, was the magical spawn of the river itself. The boy she hadn’t seen in the years following that one blissful summer. The person she would much rather be facing instead of the one she faced now.

 _He’s the reason I’m running this pop-up bar in the first place! And he has the nerve to show up here. He couldn’t have known, but still!_ The resentment in Kyoko’s heart threatened to boil her alive, manifesting only as a hateful glare towards the man sitting at the table. She supposed it was probably a good thing that he hadn’t yet figured out who she was. Or, rather, who she used to be.

The sound of the bright red tent’s door unlatching drew her eyes away from her unwelcome patron to see Ren entering with an armful of groceries. His free hand fished out something from one of the bags and he held up a package of noodles bearing a gold label.

“I got your favorite,” he said, with a very self-satisfied smile. “The last four on the shelf even.”

She noticed his smile fade once the tension in the room finally reached him. He looked from Kyoko to the man at the table, raising one eyebrow at her before he sprung into action. Holding out one of the bags to her, he waited for her to take it before pushing past her towards the kitchen area.

“Can you spare a moment to help me unpack these so I can get the eggs prepped for tonight’s special?” he called over his shoulder.

What on earth had she done to deserve someone so observant that he could quickly pick up on the situation and give her the out she desperately needed? With a quick but reluctant bow to their patron, she followed behind Ren.

“Do I need to kick him out?” Ren asked in a low voice while carefully cracking open a small army of eggs and depositing their contents into a bowl. “Is he harassing you?”

She shook her head, stacking the packages of noodles together before putting them on the shelf behind her. “Maria sent him here as a client. She just didn’t know that he and I have… history.”

Ren cocked his head to one side. “Just ‘history’ or are we talking about _history_?”

“I’m not sure I understand the difference.” Kyoko wrinkled her nose in confusion.

“Is he someone you pissed off at the grocery store or is he someone from your distant past?” he clarified.

“The latter,” she grumbled. “He’s the whole reason I’m in this predicament in the first place and I’d rather string him up by his toes than help him.”

She saw Ren pause for a moment in thought, looking up at the LED screen displaying the current count of 6,997 grudges remedied.

“Then isn’t it a good thing?” he suggested. “You can settle his grudge and maybe even resolve your own at the same time. Not everyone gets that opportunity.”

The slightest tinge of regret haunted his voice towards the end and Kyoko wanted to kick herself. Though, she wasn’t sure how she would manage it when one foot was already firmly stuck in her mouth. Ren was mostly candid with her about his situation when he started as her assistant one year prior. She knew enough about the emotional baggage he carried to avoid making flippant comparisons of their past lives.

He had to live with the consequences of giving in to the overwhelming guilt and forsaking his own life despite his best friend sacrificing theirs to save him. While his friend was slated to reincarnate into a life full of prosperity and celebrity in recognition of his selfless act, he was forced into the servitude of the Spirit Realm as law enforcement; wrangling wayward and corrupted spirits for years.

He said his assignment with her was a ‘semi-retirement present’ of sorts but never explained further. She still hadn’t figured out what he meant by that.

Kyoko ignored his question in favor of mixing the seasoning for the eggs. The irony that the night’s special was tamagoyaki was not lost on her. Droplets splashed onto the counter as she stirred the ingredients a bit more forcefully than she intended. Ren appeared beside her with a small bowl of sugar for her to add but she shook her head. He made a puzzled sound.

“He doesn’t like it sweet,” she explained, pointing her chin in the direction of their guest.

The ghost of a frown that pulled at the corners of his lips worried her less than the sadness she saw behind it. As much as she wanted to ignore those occasional curious reactions of his, something told her she wasn’t ready to learn the truth behind them.

"What's taking so long?" their patron grumbled. He slumped his blond head into his hand. "You'd think with only one customer service wouldn't be so slow."

Kyoko gripped her whisk tighter to keep herself from launching it at Shotaro.

"Sorry about that," Ren said with a sweetness that should have driven their patron away instantly. "Boss Lady's recipe is worth the wait. Let me get you a drink while you wait, on the house." With a gentlemanly smile, he went to the cooler and grabbed a bottle of shōchū.

Sho snorted. "Boss Lady. I'm never working for a woman again, that's for damn sure."

Kyoko's temper was nearly boiling now, but the only thing that kept her to a simmer were the waves of pure hostility radiating towards Sho that were not hers. They rose goosebumps on her own arm, but it was morbidly fascinating to be defended by them instead of attacked. She poured the eggs into the pan.

Ren cracked open the bottle and poured the first shot. "I've heard that sentiment before. Problems at work?" He set the glass in front of Sho.

As always, Shotaro was oblivious to the feelings of those around him and was unfazed by the assault. "She's my assistant; she works for me! She's the one who should be dealing with problems." He took the shot as if it were water. He held it out to Ren. "Hurry up, will ya? Rude to keep a customer waiting."

Kyoko was surprised the bottle wasn't melting in Ren’s hands. Sho took the shot and waves for another.

As the bottom of the eggs began to firm up, she started rolling them and exchanged a quick glance with Ren. Sho wasn't going to talk of his own volition, and at the rate he was drinking, they'd run out of booze before his lips loosened. They needed their ace in the hole.

"I'm back!" Maria yelled as she opened the door to the pop-up bar. The young woman’s ringlets bounced as she looked at Kyoko. "All coupons distributed. What's next?"

"Grab an apron," Kyoko said with a knowing look. "I need you to serve our patron, Mr. Fuwa, and take over for Ren. Ren thinks the only heavy lifting he has to do tonight is that bottle and he is sorely mistaken."

Maria gave a quick nod and went to her apron hanging on the wall. Ren scoffed. "I had to handle deliveries all by myself this morning!" He put a hand on his back and gave an exaggerated wince. "Have some sympathy."

She waved her spatula at Ren. "Maybe if you'd have put the deliveries away instead of leaving the crates stacked in the corner, you could rest. Take notes, Maria-chan, finish what you start."

With a playful smile, Maria moved her curls over her shoulder as she looped the apron around her neck. She raised an eyebrow at Ren. "I think this customer requires someone a little more attentive."

Ren merely scoffed and passed her the bottle. Maria leaned her hip on the edge of the bar as she topped off Sho’s glass. It took every ounce of Kyoko's will power not to swat the girl.

Maria had never had a strong, female hand guiding her while she was growing up. While her grandfather and father tried their best, they couldn't resist her sweet charm… and her ability to make human confess their deepest secrets with a single touch. They were a dangerous and somewhat isolating combination as a child, but as she grew, she learned to use it. Her attitude towards her power only matured with age. Grape juice to wine.

To anyone else, she would have appeared to have been handling her powers just fine. But when Kyoko first met her at the grocery store a month ago, the little spirits had been pulled to her, her own and ones of the people around her. The girl couldn’t even stock a shelf without risk of bumping into a customer, so when Kyoko had practically drafted her into service of settling her grudges, Maria agreed on one condition. When the quota was met, Kyoko would remove Maria’s ability. _“It’s too much,” Maria said. “I can’t handle everyone’s burdens.”_

The look that Sho gave Maria was one Kyoko knew well, one he'd always give a new, attractive woman who dared enter his presence. The predatory look died instantly though. He merely shook his head and took his drink.

Maria chuckled. "Problem?"

"Any woman who appears in my life typically is." He tapped the ring on his pointer finger against the glass.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "That's a fairly loaded statement. Something fit for a change of beverage." She pointed a thumb to a shelf behind the bar, lined with jade, moon-shaped bottles.

Kyoko gave him a piercing look. "Not without some food in your belly." She laid a perfectly-rolled tamagoyaki on a plate and set it in front of him.

Sho gave Maria a conspiratorial look. "Is it worth it?"

Maria winked. "Best hooch in town. And the food's not too shabby either."

Sho grabbed the egg with his chopsticks and took an animated bite, like a child proving he ate his vegetables. Maria sauntered behind the bar and while she grabbed a bottle, Kyoko did swat at her apron. "Not too shabby, what kind of nonsense is that?!"

Maria's chuckle was disrupted by an almost lewd moan. Maria, Kyoko, and Ren whipped around to see their patron with a face full of egg and an expression of pure bliss.

Ren furrowed his brow, stitching together the laugh threatening to escape. "Keep it in your pants, boss. This is a classy establishment."

Sho shot him a dirty look and then eyed Maria. "What's the holdup?" he asked through a stuffed mouth.

"Coming, coming," Maria said, sauntering to his side, crescent bottle in tow. "It's been aged for an eternity, a few more moments won't turn the taste." She patted his shoulder.

Such a simple gesture, but Kyoko knew the power that a mere touch from Maria held. She was counting on it.

She smiled knowingly. He dropped his food and chopsticks in an instant. "I'm alone. I'm all alone. I was born that way and I'll die that way so everyone else can rot in hell."

Kyoko froze. "I'm sure you're exaggerating." She couldn't muster proper anger at that point because she had never seen him so defeated before. Eyes vacant, expression slack, posture slumped, as if Maria's touch had sapped him of all strength.

He could barely handle a perturbed look at Kyoko. "People try to be around me, try to leech off of me, and they always leave in the end. No one understands me and what I've been through. Even Shoko turned her back on me in the end!"

Kyoko saw the knowing look Ren was giving her out of the corner of her eye. He was right; it was time. Kyoko pursed her lips and nodded.

Maria poured the shimmering liquor into Shotaro's glass. It glittered like a diamond even inside of the tent. When stared at too long, however, it made the human eye grow heavy. Better to drink it quickly rather than dwell on the beauty.

"Tell me about Shoko," Kyoko said.

Sho sighed and in one, mechanical motion took the iridescent shot. By the time the glass left his lips, he lost consciousness and his head slammed on the table. Bits of egg flew into his hair.

Ren and Maria jumped. Kyoko merely sighed. "Always dramatic no matter the time or place." She wiped her hands on her apron, then tore the thing off. "Let's get to work."


	2. I Marvel and Despair at the Same Time

Ren slipped his apron off. "Not even gonna let him finish his dinner before the movie?" he joked. Tried to joke at least, but Kyoko could tell that it was told through twisted lips. He didn't quite think the situation was funny. But she couldn't blame him as stupid Shotaro always had a talent for making things all about him and everyone who was around him uncomfortable.

Maria stifled a chuckle as she removed her apron. Kyoko shot her a look as she walked to Sho’s side. "Just wait until you're old enough to have men go sour on you. I want this done as soon as possible." She closed her eyes and put a hand on Sho’s forehead.

The world disappeared.

Had it not become a commonplace event in their lives, suddenly appearing in the middle of a lively and lavish party would’ve been jarring. They were surrounded on all sides by people in outfits that probably cost as much as a high-rise apartment in the city. Everything twinkled and glittered, from the chandeliers that hung above them to the people who stood below. Serving staff slid past them in silence, bearing trays full of artfully displayed foods and tall crystal flutes of endlessly bubbling champagne. Kyoko elbowed Ren when his stealthy fingers swiped an hors d’oeuvre from one of the trays. He merely shrugged and passed the item over to Maria who shoved it in her mouth with a grin.

Being the tallest of the group, Ren spotted where Sho stood with ease. Kyoko ushered them closer, choosing a nearby table to listen in. They could have stood closer. Hell, they could have stood right next to Sho and not be identified as intruders. Such was Kyoko’s skill with weaving a dream world that seamlessly meshed with the dreamer’s desire for a resolution to their problem. Still, that didn’t mean she wanted to be any closer to Sho than needed. He was already surrounded by babbling sycophants who cooed over his latest album with far more enthusiasm than was necessary. She almost sympathized with the bored expression he wore as he nodded along. Almost.

“What do you think, Maria-chan, would that tuxedo look good on me?” Ren pointed to a man with slicked-back hair who downed a glass of champagne as if it were a shot of vodka and Kyoko muffled an exasperated groan.

Maria looked at Ren, her eyes scanning his woefully uninspired ensemble of jeans and a battered, shapeless coat layered over a plain t-shirt and topped with a knit winter cap. It did his gangly physique no favors, save for drawing attention away from the attractiveness of his face, something Kyoko expressed unspoken gratitude for each day she had to be around him. Putting him in something like a sleek, structured suit would be more than her eyes and her emotions could handle. Thus, when Maria opened her mouth to answer, Kyoko beat her to the punch.

“Don’t encourage him,” she warned. “Next thing you know, he’ll show up for work like that and I am not turning the bar into a cheesy host club.”

Ren held his chest as if her words struck a fatal blow. “I’ll have you know I clean up quite nicely, thank you very much.”

“Save it for someone who cares,” Kyoko said with a stern shake of her head. “We have work to do.”

She switched her focus towards Sho, neatly avoiding the pout on Ren’s face. It always drew unnecessary attention to his mouth and she’d rather avoid that. They were on a mission and he was being a distraction. A pouty handsome distraction.

To her relief, Kyoko noticed Sho’s manager approaching him. The rhinestones studded about the hem of the woman’s slinky black dress creating an undulation of sparkles beneath the lights. Envy and longing emulsified into a sigh that Kyoko tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle. Those were dreams she had neither the time nor the life to entertain. Besides, a plunging neckline would never look as striking, or as sensual, on her body. She felt Ren touch her arm, soft but with enough urgency to turn her head. What she found was a look she assumed was meant to keep her on task, but the upward tilt to his eyebrows and the gentle downward slope of his lips confused her with their compassion. She could do little more than shake it off and return her attention to the table next to them.

Shoko tucked a business card into the equally bedazzled clutch she carried before gesturing towards a man standing across the room. At least, that’s who Kyoko assumed she was pointing out. It was pretty hard to miss him when he would constantly burst into boisterous laughter at anything anyone said to him. He looked like the type of man who knew he was the center of attention and aimed to remain as such. The bold plaid on his jacket that threatened to burst at the seams with the slightest disturbance. The sequined bow tie choked at his thick neck. Even the tinted glasses covering half of his face and the heavy, gold rings that clung to his stubby fingers. They spoke loudly and all at once, creating a cacophony of voices screaming ‘look at me!’

“I’ve spoken with Kitagawa-san’s assistant about introducing you to him,” Shoko began, cutting off the sentence of whoever was currently waxing poetic about the singer. “I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to meet.”

Sho twisted his face into a grimace. “Why? Isn’t he the owner of that idol agency?

Shoko nodded. “Yes, a very big and very prominent agency. He’s been in the business for decades and has contacts all over the entertainment industry.”

“So? I’m not an idol,” Sho snorted, running a hand through his hair.

“No, and I’m not telling you to become one.” Kyoko noticed the moment Sho’s hackles raised when his manager’s voice became softer, more patronizing. “But the whole reason we’re at this party is for you to make connections with influential people.”

“Isn’t that your job?”

Shoko sighed and looked at the ground for a second before lifting her eyes to meet his again. “Yes, it is, but people are more receptive to being sold a product when they can actually see and touch it.”

He took a step back, Kyoko watched with trepidation at the way his hands curled into fists at his sides. “And that’s all I am to you? A product?”

Shoko pinched at the bridge of her nose and exhaled. “Sho, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Didn’t you?” he spat. “So you’re not just whoring me out to some greasy executive to get me a few more plays on the radio?”

Shoko tripped over her words, spluttering with irritation until she could form a proper sentence. “This is the life you chose by joining this industry! This is how things work here.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “You can’t just turn up your nose at every opportunity presented to you because it ‘doesn’t fit your image’ or whatever you keep telling yourself. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the sake of your future.”

Sho’s back was ramrod straight then. The air felt both cold and electric around him and a shudder passed through Kyoko. The little spirits that only she could see danced around her, chanting with glee and revelling in the waves of anger and hurt that radiated from him. They were always there, always watching, but she minded their antics less and less as the years went by. A hand gripped her shoulder with a firmness that was more reassuring that uncomfortable. She looked up to see Ren concentrating on the scene before them, his lips set in a thin line. She knew he was unable to sense things the way she could, but he was observant enough to notice the shift; whether it was in her or in Sho, she couldn’t be sure.

“And where does it end, huh? When my lips fall off from kissing everyone’s ass or when I’m too old to be a viable ‘product’ anymore?” Sho’s voice was dangerously quiet. “I think I’ve made enough sacrifices to get this far. You’re not gonna make me erase who I am.”

With that, Sho turned on his heel and stormed off. Shoko’s calls for him to come back were swallowed whole by the din of the party that continued around them. The trio of eavesdroppers had only a second to shake themselves from the shock of watching that exchange before hustling after him. Sho exited through the nearest door, nearly yanking it off the hinges and letting it hit the wall with a bang.

Kyoko was the first through the door after him and, as such, was neither surprised nor unprepared when the setting abruptly changed; as dreams are wont to do. But it was the setting itself that made her stop short, her change in momentum causing Ren and Maria to collide with her back. A strong arm wrapped about her waist to keep her from pitching forward. She looked up at Ren with a grateful nod which he returned before slowly removing his arm, leaving behind the ghost of its warmth around her midsection.

“Where are we?” Maria asked, taking in the earth-toned decor and traditional architecture.

Kyoko’s answering sigh was drawn out and heavy with reluctance. “The Fuwa’s ryokan in Kyoto.”

Her home. Her tomb.

“Let’s go. There’s a garden in the back.” Kyoko charged forward.

Maria had to trot behind her to keep pace. “How do you know that’s where he’ll be?” she asked.

Kyoko tightened her jaw. “Terrible news delivered in a beautiful place becomes bittersweet, not devastating. More palatable that way.”

Maria scowled. “Bittersweet chocolate tastes terrible.”

“Just wait until you’re older,” Ren said, less amused than Kyoko would have expected. As they approached the far corner of the ryokan, they pressed their backs against the wall and inched towards the edge. Kyoko peeked her head around the corner to see lush greenery surrounding two small, stone benches angled towards a lazily meandering stream. The Fuwas sat on one; young Sho sat on the far end of the other.

Then, Maria’s head peeked out as well — right under hers. Then, Ren’s head popped up above hers, and while he wasn’t touching her, she could feel him. She could smell his cologne tinged with sweat and it was almost distracting enough to make her forget exactly what conversation the Fuwas were having — the one that led to her death.

She saw the back of Sho’s mother’s head nod. “First, dear, I want to make it clear to you how proud of you we are. You’re passionate and strong, and despite what you lead people to think, you’re extremely hard-working when you put your mind to it and dedicate yourself to a goal.”

“Exactly,” his father said. “So we thought it was time to talk to you about your future and to lay our thoughts out for you.”

Sho huffed and crossed his arms. Maria tensed.

His father continued. “Running a ryokan is more than a job. It’s a way of life and ryokans are passed from parent to child because it is nigh impossible to train someone who hasn’t already lived the life. As our only child, this place is yours when our time has passed.”

“It’s not a solitary life, either,” his mother said. “People will come and go as they please. They won’t necessarily understand our customs, our traditions, or even our language. While it can be a great privilege to educate, it can be taxing. It’s important to have support.” Her shoulders sagged. “We weren’t able to give you siblings, but the gods graced us a companion for you.”

Sho cocked his head. “What does Kyoko have to do with any of this?”

Maria grabbed Kyoko’s arm and squeezed. She nearly shot the girl a look for being condescending, but the squeeze didn’t let up. She was clinging to Kyoko as if trying to anchor herself.

“Kyoko has learned the skills that it takes with flying colors. She has proven to be steadfastly by your side at home and at school.”

“So what?” Sho asked. “What, you think we’re gonna run it side-by-side? Like some sort of manzai act? Straight man and wise guy comedy?”

His father’s tone grew stern. “Men and women don’t just live together, son.”

Sho jumped up from his seat. “The hell?! Are you two going senile? Are you telling me that you two were trying to make her into a _wife for me_?! Fuck that, I’m not chaining myself to her!”

The old anger bubbled up inside of Kyoko. She wanted to run; she wanted to cry; she wanted to beat stupid Shotaro’s head in. Maria’s every-tightening grip and Ren’s shallow breaths skimming the top of her head kept her sane.

“Language!” Sho’s father snapped. He turned to his wife. “Let me have a moment alone with him.”

She nodded and slipped through the back door of the ryokan.

This was it. This was the moment.

But she was letting the moment pass.

“Son, I don’t expect you to know what love is at this age, but you need to understand that there are qualities of a person that can make a good match. Kyoko is kind, determined, selfless —”

“Exactly, old man,” he snarled. “Despite being mistreated by her mother and everyone at school, and apparently you two as well.”

Kyoko froze. _He… he really thought that? Thought about me that way?_

"That's not true," Sho's father said. "We provided her a home with legacy, with history! She's learning a stable trade."

"That she didn't choose," Sho argued. "That she would accept out of obligation to you. She'd marry your screwed up, pain in the ass son because you wanted her too. Even if she said she wanted to, how could I ever believe her?"

"Shotaro, you have always had everything you've needed and that has made you blind to what it means to have nothing."

Sho threw his hands in the air. "Well here's your chance to teach me a lesson! Take it, I don't want the inn." He stormed inside.

Sho's father hung his head for a moment and sighed. Then, he followed his son inside.

Kyoko felt dizzy; she nearly fell. In his own, definitely crude, yet definitely Sho way, he was trying to help her. Helping himself in the process, but he was still helping her.

A strong hand grabbed Kyoko's shoulder. "Are you okay?" Ren asked and his concerned gaze was like a hangover cure — she was sobering up.

Maria let go of her hand and ran, following the stream. Before Kyoko could yell after her properly, she has disappeared into the dense forest.

Abject horror crossed Ren's face. "Maria!" he called. He spared a quick, "Stay here," to Kyoko before he took off in a blur as well.

When she had regained her senses, she ran after them as well. She was Ren's boss, after all. He didn't give the orders.

* * *

Kyoko found them sitting by the river. Her river. Despite being a cognitive reproduction, she was still hesitant to get any closer to it. The cheery bubbling of water caressing rock was less of a calming sound to her and more akin to nails on a chalkboard. So, she chose to watch from afar as Ren placed a comforting hand on Maria’s shoulder. The young woman still shook with anger and her breaths came in heaving gasps.

“How could he be so awful to his own _family_?” Maria asked in a voice that trembled. “It’s obvious that they care about him, but he just treats them like they don’t matter. It makes me so angry!”

A soft smile snuck across Kyoko’s lips when she saw Ren rub Maria’s back with a gentle hand. He always knew when Maria needed to be consoled or when she needed a terrible joke to make her laugh. He had a way with the young woman that she would readily admit she did not. But, what Kyoko wouldn’t admit was that he had a way with her as well. That created enough confusion within her own heart that saying it out loud would, most likely, only serve to make things worse.

“I know you’ve only helped us with a handful of these so far,” Ren began in a quiet voice, “but you have seen enough to know that the situation is never as it appears. Remember, we’re usually witnessing only a snapshot of someone’s life. Sometimes that’s enough to resolve their issue but, sometimes, we have to dig deeper.”

“But onee-san doesn’t like him either and she knows him,” Maria pointed out.

“Mogami-san’s relationship with him is… different,” Ren said, the last word coming out strained. “But even she has put that aside, for now, to try to help him.”

Kyoko leaned against a nearby tree with a scoff. He gave her too much credit. Her only motivation was the promise of having something to laud over Shotaro. She wanted the satisfaction of taking the moral high road and she wanted to be smug about it afterward. The fact that it also added one more to her current count of grudges resolved was mere icing on the cake. A breeze rustled through the leaves and she looked up to see branches waving an awkward hello at her.

“I guess she doesn’t have much of a choice if she wants to meet her quota, huh?” Maria turned to Ren, her head lowered in apology. “I shouldn’t have left like that. I just can’t stand to see people take their family for granted. It’s like seeing someone with a car you could never afford in a million years, but they never drive it and it stays locked in a rundown shed collecting dust.”

He ruffled her curls a bit and offered a sad smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it gave Mogami-san a much-needed chance to take a break for a few minutes.”

Maria’s abrupt burst of incredulous laughter drowned out the incessant noise of the river and Kyoko was grateful for both.

“Only you would turn my running off into a positive thing.” Her nose wrinkled in disagreement. “I don’t think you want me to make a habit of it.”

Ren just shrugged, still smiling. “Sometimes a shortcoming is just a talent you haven’t found a use for yet.”

Suddenly the sun was all at once too bright and burning. It seared Kyoko’s eyes as it attacked from all angles, shining down from above, reflecting off of the water below and illuminating Ren’s hair to the point that she swore it looked almost golden. Her lungs chose that moment to go on strike, letting no further air in or out. She clutched at the tree, silently begging it to hold her upright while Ren’s words repeated themselves in her ears over and over again.

It was too similar. Too much like another moment between a little girl and a boy who sat beside this very same river. The words were almost identical.

_“Mama says she’s going to send me to live at the abandoned temple in the mountains if I don’t stop saying strange things to people,” Kyoko choked out between sobs._

_Her tiny hands dug into the sandy dirt along the river’s edge, holding her steady as she shuddered with each whimper that escaped her. A warm hand rested itself between her shoulders and she stilled._

_“I can’t help it,” she whispered. “The spirits are always telling me when people are upset even if they don’t look like they are. They’re so noisy. I can’t not hear them.”_

_“I know, Kyoko-chan. I know,” a soothing voice said beside her. “There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s a gift.”_

_Kyoko shook her head and sat back on her ankles. She swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand before frowning up at the boy who hovered over her with green eyes full of concern. His face was smeared with dirt and blond hair hung in his face in wet clumps. She wondered if he’d been playing in the river prior to finding her or if he surfaced from the river itself when he heard her cries._

_“If it’s a gift, why do people say I’m annoying?” She hiccuped. “Why does Mama say I’m a burden?”_

_The boy’s hand rubbed small circles on her back. “It’s because they don’t understand. They think you aren’t normal, but they don’t realize that this is just a talent you haven’t found a use for yet.”_

Maria appeared in front of her while she was lost in thought. She blinked twice before regarding the young woman who looked up at her with repentant eyes.

“I’m sorry for disappearing like that,” the apology rushed past her lips like the water coursing behind her. “I didn’t mean to set us back. I’m ready to help you again.”

Kyoko placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, pushing the tumult of thoughts in her head aside for the time being. “I understand. It can be a challenge to try to control how you react to things that upset you.”

Maria nodded.

“Go on back to the house,” she instructed, looking over Maria’s shoulder to see Ren still sitting beside the water. “We’ll catch up with you.”

She waited until Maria was out of earshot, biding her time by watching Ren slowly get up and dust the sand from his clothes and hands. Her eyes swept over him from head to toe and back, trying to imagine him many years younger with much fairer hair and greener eyes. It didn’t seem possible. There was no way they could be the same person. The Ren she knew had been human. Well, his soul was at least; whatever ageless adult bodies they inhabited while carrying out their respective sentences were questionable at best.

But the boy she remembered from her youth — well, she supposed he could’ve been human also. He never corrected her assumption. He never confirmed it either.

She must have been staring rather intensely at him because he shifted his weight from one foot to the other with a furrowed brow and disconcerted posture. Kyoko drew in a deep breath and walked towards him. Each step carried her closer to the roar of water that assailed her ears, and each step only made him more anxious. Ren looked askance, bringing a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck.

“Was I gone so long that you started to miss me?” The question was accompanied by a weak chuckle.

Her head tilted to one side and she sized him up one last time before meeting his questioning stare. He was always honest with her about his past whenever she had a question. Now she realized she never asked the right ones. Not that she wanted to; she could see the pain in his eyes whenever he had to talk about it and it stopped her from ever venturing any further into that grim, uncharted territory. But the question she should have asked — needed to ask — burned her from within, threatening to scorch her very tongue should she choose to speak it.

But she had to.

“Who are you?”


	3. The Weak Prince Who Made Empty Promises

Ren raised an eyebrow at her. “Your faithful employee and sidekick, sent to you by the gods to help you speed up your penance. Former head of the —”

Her temper flared. “How did you know about this place?”

The eyebrow slowly lowered. “You created the dreamspace. Yes it used Fuwa’s memories, but your ties to it as well must have made the path obvious.”

She shook her head, scowling. She’d known him for long enough now, she could tell when he was lying. “You were terrified when Maria took off this way. Because you know what happened here.” It wasn’t a question.

His expression turned to stone. “It doesn’t help with our objective. It leads away from resolving Fuwa’s grudge and away from your goal —”

“Shut up, Corn!” she barked. “Do not speak another word to me unless it’s the truth!” She had never been more furious in her life. She had never been more embarrassed, either.

His hands balled into fists. An infinite amount of silence filled the space. When he’d start talking, something in her would break.

“I am serving penance for committing suicide,” he said in a hollow tone. He wasn’t looking at her. His face was pointing at her, certainly, but he was somewhere else. “When my best friend, my only true friend, really, chased after me in one of my fits of rage, he was nearly hit by a car. I saved him, but I didn’t save myself. It didn’t seem right.”

His eyes finally found some energy to focus on her. He swallowed. “Even after all those years, the fact that I wasn’t here for you when you needed me is my greatest regret.”

Her blood ran cold. “I slipped on the slick rocks.” It was her line, time after time, even when knelt in front of the gods, she never waved from that phrasing. The rocks were slick. The water was cold. And she fell.

“They know your heart,” he said. “They know your soul, and they know that saving yourself was not on your mind. You’re not punished for falling.”

She blinked back tears. Swallow them, do something when them, make them useful, do _something besides dwell on the truth_. “You weren’t there. Sho abandoned me and you were supposed to be there.”

“And I didn’t even leave a note. I didn’t call. I didn’t tell you goodbye.” He nodded to himself. “I’ve had many years to level the charges against myself. The years I put into the agency were all to find a way to get placed with you.”

“To ridicule me?” she asked with a snarl. “To judge me? To get some sick kicks off of my —”

“To get you out of this!” he snapped. “To work by your side. To do whatever it takes to meet your quota by the deadline.” He blinked; his own eyes were welling with tears. “And to get some glimpse of what you could have been if you had been free to grow up. That’s the selfish piece, I know. But I promise that’s the only piece that’s for me.”

He fell to his knees. He looked up at her. “Your faithful employee and sidekick are all I could ever hope to be.”

She grabbed her collar and watched him with wild eyes. She was so conflicted, so twisted up inside because everything he had been saying rang of truth. She slammed her eyes shut for a while, wishing with all her might that she was anywhere but here, being stared at by him as if she held him in the palm of her hand.

“We need to get going,” she said, terse. “We need to get back to Maria and then get to Sho and…” She crossed her arms, squeezing herself tight. “And, I don’t know! Make him talk to a younger version of me? It doesn’t matter, we need to regroup at the ryokan.” She marched, but when Ren didn’t stand when she reached him, she grabbed his collar and tugged. He scrambled to his feet and she released him. He kept a pace behind her and that suited her. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with him yet, she didn’t know what to feel, but she knew that once she did, he was going to be there to hear her.

* * *

Granted, she was only spitballing in a vain attempt to keep herself from getting sidetracked by Ren’s revelation but having Sho talk to her younger self ended up being a better idea than she gave it credit for initially. It would have been an even better idea if she didn’t have to actively participate. When they found Sho sulking alone after his father left the garden, her first idea was to simply conjure up a dream version of herself to talk to him. That, she then realized, would leave her standing on the sidelines.

With Ren.

No, she needed to manage one catastrophic life event at a time. Besides, maybe facing Sho would give her the courage she needed to face Ren. Well, she hoped at least.

So she sat beside him dressed in her old school uniform, looking like the young, naive girl she once was. Her short copper locks were replaced with longer, silky black strands. Her cheeks were rounder. Her eyes were wider. She felt like a stranger in that body. That wasn’t who she was anymore. But she was who she had to be for Sho.

“Where the hell were you?” The first words out of his mouth instantly dispelled whatever notions she had of this ever being a poignant moment.

“Excuse you?” Kyoko reeled back, face twisted with indignance.

“My parents were basically dictating my future and yours and you weren’t even here to defend yourself. You were off… well, you know…” Sho trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Kyoko folded her arms and frowned. “Yes, I do know. I was there.”

“Yeah, well, you should’ve been here,” he snapped. “You should’ve been able to tell them what you wanted.”

“I wanted to be with you.” The words she wanted so badly to say back then now came soft and reluctant. “I loved you.”

His laugh was a hollow sort of admonishment. All ridicule and no substance. “You loved the idea of the security that came with being with me. I’m what you thought you wanted. I’m well aware of the way I am, Kyoko. I’m not what you needed.”

Her frown deepened. “Tell me, then, what did I need?”

Instead of answering, he stood up, keeping his back turned to her. She could see the tension knotting his shoulders. “I was gonna ask you to come with me, you know. So you’d have a chance to figure out on your own what you wanted out of life. I know they care and I know they meant well,” he jerked his chin in the direction of the house, “but this is the only life you’ve known since your mother left you with us. Didn’t you want more?”

“How could I?” she scoffed. “Like you said, this is the only life I knew.”

“Well, you should’ve had the chance to know something else.” His words were directed at her but spoken to the ground as he drove the toe of his shoe into it over and over again. “Beyond this. Beyond me.”

She picked at some imaginary lint on her uniform skirt for a moment before her eyes narrowed in realization. “You wanted me to forget about you.”

“Hey, I’m not gonna lie that this plan was mostly self-serving, but you’re literally the closest friend I had.” His shoulders raised into a shrug and he turned to look at her. “I thought maybe I could do something for you too. But you had to go off to some place I don’t plan on seeing for a long time if I’m lucky.”

Kyoko’s gaze followed the river as it narrowed to a pinpoint in the distance. “I didn’t plan on seeing it either.”

“Yeah.”

He sat beside her again, bracing his arms against his knees. Silence stretched out between them for a handful of heartbeats. “I miss you calling me out on my shit.”

“I hardly believe that. “ Her ungainly snort caused his head to snap up and he gave her a wry grin.

“No, no, I mean it. With anyone else, it just pisses me off because you know how much I hate people telling me what to do. But you had this sort of, I dunno, grace about it or something,” he explained in his usual inarticulate way. “Maybe it’s just because you know me too well.”

So that’s really what it was? This was why Sho was being more of an insufferable prat than usual? Why he blew off his own manager to go drink shōchū in a random pop-up bar in the city? He had yet to find a replacement for her and was taking it out on everyone else. She hated to admit it but Kyoko was almost flattered.

“Other people can know you too.” Kyoko nudged his side with her elbow. “If you let them.”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna.” Sho slumped against her and she whined under the additional weight before shoving him away and swatting at the back of his head.

“Idiot. I’m not around anymore, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Trust me, I have.”

His words were far more sorrow-laden than she expected. She always assumed her death meant very little to him in the grand scheme of things. Of course, her assumption was based on information she now knew was inaccurate and incomplete.

“Not everyone is going to tumble into your life like a crybaby little girl whose mother left her in the care of your parents,” she challenged. “Sometimes you have to put in a little effort.”

“Yeah, but that requires work,” Sho complained and she rolled her eyes.

“It’s not going to kill you to meet people halfway for once in your life. Don’t keep them all at arm’s length. I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure out which ones are worth the time and effort.” She poked the side of his head with one finger and a teasing smile. “Unless you only have room enough for songs up there.”

Kyoko could feel Ren’s eyes on her from wherever he and Maria had stashed themselves. She knew how fitting her words were regarding her own situation. If only she took advice as well as she gave it.

“I guess,” he drawled, stretching the words out like fresh pink bubblegum.

She nudged him again. “I’m not alive to tell you to act less like a jerk and more like an adult, but I’m sure you won’t have to look too hard to find someone who can.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved her off.

He stood once more, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. His feet shuffled in the dirt. Whether it was to cover up the divots he made earlier or just plain nervous energy, she couldn’t tell. Probably both, if she had to guess.

“I dunno how you’re doing in the uh… beyond or whatever, but I hope they let you come back as something awesome for the next go around.” Again, he refused to look at her as he spoke. “It’s the least they can do after you put up with my difficult ass.”

His inability to meet her eyes ended up being a blessing in disguise. Kyoko could feel the telltale tingle that they were on the cusp of spilling tears. She blinked it away and shook her head once.

“Thanks.” It was only one word, but it came out heavy and sopping wet.

And Sho just nodded before slowly walking back into the house.

Kyoko took her time getting up from the bench. She smoothed her hands over her sleeves and her skirt and, lastly, through her hair. Each pass of her hand removed the veneer of her younger self, revealing her true appearance underneath. A sigh made up of every single sigh she wanted to breathe during that entire exchange finally made its way out of her in one gust.

The sound of shoes on gravel made her turn to see Ren and Maria slowly approaching. Maria’s brow was wrinkled with a worried frown while Ren’s face was unreadable. He just stared at her with this pinched expression as if he were appraising her. Maria made the first move, picking up her pace to slam into Kyoko’s side and wrapping her in a hug. She grunted upon impact, taking a moment before placing one arm about the young woman’s shoulders.

Ren approached slower, more cautiously. She watched him inch closer, his expression softening with each additional step. Remembering the words she spoke to Sho mere moments before, she reached out her other hand to him. Then he moved faster, taking her hand as well as two long strides to bring him to her side. Her breath caught when he pressed her hand, warm and secure in his, softly to his lips. Before she could react further, he crushed her against him, burying her face into his coat, his arms locked around her like steel.

The three of them held each other like that, letting the water slip by in the stream beside them and the wind buffet at their hair. They held each other until Kyoko finally stopped trembling.

And when the dream slipped away and they were back in the familiar red tent, the number on the little LED screen increased by two.

* * *

Sho had left, stumbling out of the tent in a stupor while mumbling something about his manager. Their little party was exhausted, so Kyoko was thankful there was leftover curry in the refrigerator. She couldn't let Maria leave without having something in her stomach.

However, Maria only shoved bits of the saucy chicken around her plate dejectedly. Ren elbowed her. "No dessert if you don't finish your main dish."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter." She shoved her plate at Ren.

Ren gasped in faux horror. "That's a terrible attitude!" He pinched a piece off of her plate and held it up at her. "You'll never grow big and strong like that." His tone was playful, but Kyoko could see him studying Maria intently.

Kyoko caught Maria's eyes glance at the LED board. 6,999 of grudges resolved. Only one more to go.

"Two in one is quite the bargain for one night," Kyoko said. "One away from my quota being made and me removing your ability, as promised."

Ren popped the bite into his own mouth. Maria looked down at the table. "And then you two get reincarnated, start new lives, and forget all about me. About this."

Kyoko and Ren locked eyes in the longest moment she ever thought possible. They were searching each other, trying to have a conversation in an instant without letting on to Maria about what. There was so much that had been unsaid, so much they needed to talk about, so much she wasn’t certain exactly how she felt…

But she did know this. She knew she didn't want this to end. She belonged here, with them.

Kyoko pressed her lips together, still staring at Ren when she said, "Reincarnation is one option, but not the only one."

Ren's eyes went wide, his lips parting ever so slightly in surprise. All of his hope was bubbling up in the curve of his lips.

Maria looked up at Kyoko, brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? Reincarnation is the reward. You can be a celebrity or a socialite or an heiress! You can grow up in a massive family in a huge mansion and marry an equally rich person!" She glared as if Kyoko was thick. "You can finally have a real childhood. Be a teen, date, marry. Raise your own family and have your own kids."

Kyoko scoffed. "Become a child again? Sounds exhausting. School and puberty and acne, ugh."

Maria couldn't see the way Ren was grinning at Kyoko. The way the grief he had carried was evaporating before her very eyes. Because, just like she knew him, he knew her and what she would say.

Kyoko continued. "And pregnancy? Childbirth? Terrible! Babies never allow for beauty rest and can't even wipe their own bottoms. I have two people right here that require plenty of my attention already, plus any sad souls that stumble here."

Maria sat up straight not daring to let herself hope yet. "You… could stay? You would really choose that?"

Kyoko nodded. "Of course."

Maria whipped around to Ren. He slammed on a poker face. Her voice quickening, she asked, "Are you going to stay too?"

"Only if you finish your dinner," he said solemnly. Then, he smirked.

Maria beamed and shoved her food in her mouth as quickly as possible. Kyoko chuckled. "Slow down, you'll choke!" But Maria barely breathes as she shoved it in, smearing sauce over her cheeks in the process. When she was done, she slammed her spoon on the table. "Done!"

Ren shrugged. "I suppose I have no choice. I'll stay."

Maria wrapped her arms around both of their necks and pulled them in for another hug. Ren was dangerously close now, and they dearly needed to talk, but she couldn't help but enjoy the moment.

Maria released them just as quickly. "Yay! Okay, I have to work my day job tomorrow, so let's do a rain check on dessert until we settle that last grudge." She grabbed her back from the hook on the wall.

Kyoko grabbed a wet rag and went to Maria. "Fine, fine, but you're filthy!" Kyoko wiped Maria's face clean, a little too abrasively, but Maria smiled all the same. "Be careful on your way home."

With a wave, Maria said, "I will!" and bolted out of the bar. Kyoko held her breath, not quite ready to face him.

Ren cleared his throat. "I'll count that as a win, too. I hate to see her sad."

She twisted the stained rag in her hands. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"She's not the only one."

Kyoko closed her eyes. "It wasn't fair of me to make you decide on the spot like that."

She heard him stand and walk up behind her. "My decision was made a long time ago."

Her throat tightened. She had to be sure. "We were good friends back then. Confidants. But I don't feel like that's enough anymore. After all of this time together, even though I'm still confused about the truth about you, I… I want more. I want time. I want your heart."

His arms wrapped around her, the tightness she was finding synonymous with home welcoming her once again. She felt his head press against her cheek, his hair featherlight against her skin. "Thank god. I want those as well."

She let herself melt into his chest. This wasn't a dream, couldn't be a dream, could it? His breath on her face was the realest thing in the world to her. "I promise this won't turn me into a slacker. I'll be a perfectly dedicated employee, as always, even though I'm —"

She rammed her elbow into his gut. She turned around to see him doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Why?!" he cried.

Kyoko smirked. "The thought even crossing your mind is bad enough!"

He looked up to the roof as if pleading with the gods. "Why does love have to be so cruel?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone give Persie a big round of applause to listening us work on this thing, from idea to completion! And for not binging the show herself so she could join in the fun.
> 
> And if it isn't clear already, WATCH MYSTIC POP UP BAR PEOPLE! You won't regret it!


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